Southampton 4 Burnley 3: match report

Read a full match report of the FA Cup third-round game between Southampton
and Burnley at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday Jan 4, 2014.

Up and Adam: the Saints midfielder caps off a tricky week with a goalPhoto: ACTION IMAGES

By Tom Prentki at St Mary’s

9:07PM GMT 04 Jan 2014

Adam Lallana’s start to 2014 has not been a quiet one. The England midfielder will look back on 2013 as the year in which he earned the Southampton captaincy, became a father and gained international recognition.

But on Saturday, he is beset with controversy at the centre of a conflict between his club and Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, which even a crucial goal in this game will do nothing to dampen.

They are not headlines which either party will welcome, with Clattenburg having successfully defended accusations of using inappropriate language towards Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel in October 2012 and Lallana seeking to enhance his burgeoning reputation as an international class forward as Roy Hodgson contemplates his squad for Brazil.

In the wake of the Mikel incident, the Premier League had planned to implement a system of so-called 'black box’ recordings of referees aimed at dealing with controversial incidents when allegations are made by players against officials, but that has now been abandoned. The plan had meant that full transcripts of what was said could be compiled and published based on recordings.

Mike Riley, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, said a system would be introduced to record “referees’ communication on a private basis” but the proposal is mired in legal difficulties and it has now been decided it is impractical.

Speaking after a scintillating victory over Burnley, Southampton’s assistant manager, Jesus Perez, in the absence of Mauricio Pochettino, would only say about the Lallana case: “I haven’t the authority to talk about the situation from the club.”

Southampton have said Lallana was the subject of “abusing and insulting” remarks from Clattenburg at Goodison Park, while the PGMOL say the official has “no case to answer” after telling Lallana: “You’re very different now since you played for England — you never used to be like this.”

Southampton insist the matter is not over, but Lallana has become the subject of ridicule on social media for taking offence at a seemingly minor slur. In that context, he certainly did his own PR no harm by coming off the bench to score a characteristically fleet-footed winner to swing a pulsating third-round tie back in Southampton’s favour after Burnley had wiped-out a 2-0 half-time deficit.

“Everyone can see Adam Lallana and what he is doing this season,” Perez said. “Every single minute he is on the pitch he is trying to do his best. He deserves it because he is one of the examples for the squad daily on the training ground.”

As for the week’s controversies, the Spaniard added: “I think it doesn’t affect us. We are professionals. You have to stay away from some of the pressures of the things around football. Fatigue is not only physical it is mental as well.”

Southampton dominated the first half with the soft-shoed Uruguayan Gaston Ramirez the fulcrum of much of their attacking and Nathaniel Clyne also prominent. Clyne, who Hodgson has said is always in England’s thoughts, broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion as he smashed a 20-yard half-volley beyond Thomas Heaton.

Rickie Lambert made the same corner of the net bulge as he fired in Saints’ second from the edge of the box before being replaced by ex-Clarets striker Jay Rodriguez after suffering a dead leg.

Rodriguez later scored a third for Southampton to cue respectfully-muted celebrations in front of his Burnley-mad parents, who watched from the stands.

Saints fan Sam Vokes gave the Clarets hope for the second half as he glanced in Dean Marney’s delivery before his strike partner, and former Saints trainee Danny Ings, had visiting supporters dreaming of an upset when he latched onto Kevin Long’s through ball to level.

Rodriguez has said it is inevitable the striker will soon be in the Premier League. Manager Sean Dyche admitted that “every player had their price but there is no pressure to sell.”